5 Things To Know About Hedi Slimane's Celine Debut

Titled Paris La Nuit, Hedi Slimane's debut collection at Celine was clearly designed for after hours. Executive fashion news editor, Olivia Singer, highlights the key moments from one of the most eagerly-awaited shows of the season.

If recent weeks have proven anything, it’s that Hedi Slimane is the master of hype. While Celine’s Instagram was wiped, and its e-commerce suspended, he announced a new house logo, rolled out a campaign and presented his inaugural designs through the medium of Lady Gaga’s Instagram. The first pieces in the collection debuted on social media; cities across the globe were swiftly papered with his campaigns. An aigu was dropped; the (fashion) world went mad. By the time the doors opened this evening, the spectacle had long been underway.

@celine

But the showspace was new

Hedi made clear that his vision for Celine was not simply an evolution of the codes Phoebe Philo established there: this is his house now. Accordingly, an enormous showspace was built from scratch to mark the occasion: a clean black box in the centre of Paris marked with the new and neon-lit logo. Celine-brand champagne was served; people were hyped. Drummer boys – two actual drummer boys, from the Garde Republicaine and dressed in ceremonial uniforms – played a roll. Then: glossy black panels slid back to reveal a kaleidoscopic, mirrored interior, with a woman seemingly suspended within. She descended. It started. Gaga (who was, of course, in attendance) ought to have been taking notes; it was all rather fabulous pop-concert material.

And so was the music

Hedi Slimane has long made it clear that his love for music and fashion are inexorably intertwined – and the soundtrack this evening was tribute to the fact. Created by Marlon Magnée and Sasha Grot of La Femme, Slimane heard its first incarnation while photographing them in Echo Park and asked them to evolve it for his debut. Then, he got Grace Hartzel to co-write lyrics that reflected the “everyday experience of being a model, commenting on the sometimes absurd elements and language used in shows and photoshoots.” Even the collaboration with Christian Marclay – comic book collages that appeared as colourful prints and sequinned couture alike – were a reflection of the crossover: his work has been oriented around “the fusion of fine art and audio cultures, transforming sounds and music into a visible, physical form” since the 1980s. It’s also worth pointing out that this evening had more musicians in attendance than White Heat circa 2008: from Lady Gaga to Alex Kapranos; Jamie Hince to George Barnett; Carl Barat to Mark Ronson. One thing’s for sure: the after party will have had a very good soundtrack.

Daywear is out, fascinators are in

Titled Paris La Nuit, this was a collection clearly designed for after hours (in summary: dresses were small; sparkles were big). But while night and day were clearly separated, gender was not: every outfit worn by the male models in the show was unisex and will be available for a female audience. But whether women in the show were wearing puff-ball dresses or cold wave suits, they were wearing them with Slimane’s version of a fascinator: the “Bibi” hat, inspired by his years spent at clubs like The Palace and The Bains Douche. Think Amanda Lear rather than Ascot.

You’ll want the accessories

From the sparkle-rimmed to 3D-style glasses; the double-C handbag to the quilted single monogram, they were very, very good. The black leather boots, the lizared or lacquered python shoes, the narrow derbies: all excellent. To root this blowout extravaganza in reality, back in January, Bernard Arnault said that he wanted Celine revenues to reach 2-3 billion euros within 5 years of Slimane’s appointment (that’s double, or triple, its current state of affairs) – and it’s accessories that will get them there fastest. The first handbags launch in November; you can expect to see them everywhere. The rest – well, that too. Slimane knows what people want, and how to give it to them. This was the start of his return to power. Let’s see how the industry shifts in his wake.